NEED to FIND THIS - OBSERVATIONS, PROTESTATIONS AND LAMENTATIONS OF MUSEUM GUARDS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD (1978)

OBSERVATIONS, PROTESTATIONS AND LAMENTATIONS OF MUSEUM GUARDS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD (1978)
This was a particularly ambitious survey. 1,200 questionnaires were mailed out to museums and many language translations were necessary. Celender’s curiosity ran high and he asked many things one would want to know including: “Have there been any thefts, or serious defacements, of works of art during your tenure?” “What are your subordinate guards most frequent complaints?” “What work, or works, do you most admire?” “Do you visit other art institutions on your day off ?” “Do you engage in painting, sculpture, or crafts?” Portrait photos accompany many of the responses. Though most answers given were short, the book offers an interesting window into an employee culture that is common to every major museum. Unsurprisingly, some museums declined participation for reasons of security.

This is the sort of thing I would have been willing to make a pilgrimage to Chicago for had I known about it in time. It says they take individual visits by appointment, so if anyone is up for making that pilgrimage with me, let me know. And if anyone knows if these books are available anywhere - in PDF or physical form - please please pretty please point me to them.

UPDATE: Marc Fischer has informed me that two of Celender’s books are available for purchase from Half-Letter Press. He also tells me that others are available through Celender’s gallery, OK Harris, although their site makes no mention of the artist, so if you’re interested, I would try contacting them directly.